Top 10 Best Demons/Devils in Anime [Updated]

For those who don’t know why anime is so awesome, just look to the long list of anime that deal with demons, devils, and basically anything supernatural. It is with such characters, who most of the time have a certain evil predisposition and unbelievable powers, that creators produce some pretty incredible animation as well as backstories. Given that we expect such characters to be evil (bad on us for assuming they’re evil because of their demonic blood), creators can set up a lot of internal and external conflict that help mold truly fascinating and nuanced characters. Now, this particular list is an updated one, so be sure to check out the original below to get a full serving of awesome demons/devils in anime.

10. Elsie from Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows)

Elsie is a terrible demon. She can barely capture any souls, and has to enlist the help of a human in order to properly do her work. That’s how this show begins and how Keima finds himself needing to romance different women or die. Good work, Elsie.

Now Elsie might seem like a strange addition to this list, as she never really seems particularly dangerous. However, isn’t that what makes her so amazing. She is just so sweet and funny and ridiculous in spite of the fact that she’s a demon. She reminds us that we always need to be ourselves and not take things too seriously. She also reminds us that failing is completely okay sometimes.

9. Tomoe from Kamisama Hajimemashita

Tomoe is a fox demon with a particularly mean mien. Who can blame the guy though? The priest who had been working beside him at a shrine just decided to leave and use a young girl as a replacement. That would put most people in a bad mood as well.

Now Tomoe is a fun demon to watch. His wit is extremely sharp and he will basically give a thorough tongue lashing to any character that even slightly annoys him. Thankfully, the creators made sure to make him more than just talk. He knows how to fight, as his abilities are quite powerful, and he is not afraid to knock heads with other demons.

8. Decim from Death Parade

Decim is the host of Quindecim. He brings the recently deceased into his domain in order for them to play a parlor game. These games range from darts to billiards over the series, and he ensures that the characters play fair in order for the game to properly decide who will be reincarnated and who will go to the abyss.

Decim is one of the most intriguing and unique demons in anime history. Part of this is because the character doesn’t have an extremely strong personality, like so many other demons in anime. He is stoic and completely in control of what happens within his room. However, his nature becomes compromised as well as every event that occurred throughout the series with his last participant who makes his judgments seem impractical.

7. Rikuo Nura from Nurarihyon no Mago (Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan)

Rikuo is the protagonist of Nura: Rise of the Yoka Clan, and he is quite an interesting character. Despite being the next in line to rule the Nura Clan, he does not want anything to do with his yokai family. He just wants to live a normal life and enjoy his middle school years. Sadly for him, other clans know that he is next in line and are more than willing to kill him off while he’s young. These tactics basically force Rikuo to accept his demonic side in order to protect both his classmate and yokai family.

The premise of the show immediately gives you insight into why Rikuo Nura is such an interesting demon to watch. He’s reluctant to even engage with his awesome powers because he wants normalcy. This adds a lot of tension and emotional impact each time he is forced to use his powers. It also helps that his demon side is a confident badass who is ready to take on anyone who gets in his way. The split between his normal personality and demon personality creates an interesting dynamic to the show.

6. Rias from High School DxD

Rias is the main female hero of Highschool DxD and she is next in line to rule the Gremory Clan. Her care for others and tremendous power basically create the main cast of characters as she reanimated a good chunk of them.

In a show with a lot of lovable characters, Rias has always been the top fan favorite. Why? Well, she is an exhilarating character to watch. She is kind and yet extremely strong-willed and will not back down to anyone. The range of emotions that she displays on an episodic basis is impressive and keeps everyone laughing to boot. To put it plainly, she is a lively character with a lot of awesome quirks and abilities.

5. Rin from Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)

It took a long time for the second season to finally come out and it was well worth the wait. Through both seasons of Blue Exorcist we follow the life of Rin, a prince from hell, who has decided to spend his life fighting against his father, his fate, and the demonic forces that wish to use him.

Rin’s internal struggle is one of the more powerful aspects of the show. It is riveting to watch him grapple with his demonic roots and overwhelming power. This part of his identity also creates such a beautiful and dynamic relationship with his twin brother who, despite being too weak to receive Satan’s demonic energy, has known the truth of Rin and has been training to protect him.

4. Ai from Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)

Sentai Filmworks

Episodes: 90

Aired: Oct. 2005 – Sep. 2017

Ai is the main character of Hell Girl. She acts as the demon behind the Hell Correspondence and personally handles the deliverance of people’s souls to Hell.

Ai is a powerful demon character for two obvious reasons. The first is that she has the ability to manipulate reality and send people to hell. It’s this power that really sets the stage for the show as we get mesmerized by the terrifying fashion in which she ferries souls to hell. The second is that her character is shrouded in mystery. We learn about her in little bits, which forces us to not only contemplate why the Hell Correspondence exists but how she has found such a devoted team.

3. Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

Sebastian is the demon that was summoned forth to grant Cecil Phantomhive’s wish for vengeance. In exchange for helping Cecil, Sebastian will get to eat his soul. To properly serve the young master without drawing too many eyes, Sebastian acts as one hell of a butler.

Sebastian not only attacks the enemies of the Phantomhive family, but also the hormones of basically anyone who watches the show. As a demon, Sebastian shows just how entertaining the bad boy is. Though he obeys everything that Cecil says, you can feel the amount of control he has. You know he is pulling the strings. Things do bite him at the end of the second season, but in general he has a knack for mind games and an extremely quick wit.

2. Clare from Claymore

Clare is our hero of the series. She is part of an organization that employs half-demons to kill full demons. The danger of this work is that if these warriors release too much of their demonic powers then they will turn into an insanely powerful demon. Clare became a part of this organization because her mentor and savior was part of the organization and was betrayed by another member. Clare thinks that her best chances of coming face-to-face with this backstabber will be from joining the organization.

Clare is an exceptionally thrilling demon to watch on screen. Okay, technically she’s only quarter demon, but let’s not start splitting hairs at this point. Her backstory and resolve for vengeance is quite powerful and on the par with badass characters like Guts from Berserk. Also, she holds a lot of emotional nuance, which is displayed with her relationship with the young boy Raki.

1. Inuyasha from InuYasha

Inuyasha came to us in 2000 and the series and its titular character have become timeless in the anime world. If you are even slightly acquainted with anime then chances are you’re familiar with this giant sword wielding dog demon who wears a simple red robe and has white hair. His mission is one of recovering the shards of the Shikon Jewel in order to stop Naraku from becoming too powerful. Though Kagome does somewhat force him into the mission, he also has several reasons for chasing Naraku. One reason is simply to prevent one demon from becoming too powerful. Another is to protect Kagome. There is also the fact that Naraku played Inuyasha and his past lover, Kikyo, like a fiddle. Part of the reason why this anime is so good is because each character has many things motivating them.

Inuyasha is number one on this list because he was one of the earliest bad boy heroes. Though powerful and ultimately good-hearted; he could be petulant, conceited, cocky, and a host of other problematic personality traits. The range of emotions his character could convey was extremely powerful and made the series one of the greatest of all time, as his personality helped form extremely complex and deep relationships with those around him.

Final Thoughts:

There you have it people. Those are the top ten demons/devils in anime history. As you probably noticed, each of these characters has a lot of facets to his/her personality, and you will definitely find yourself falling in love with them. Let us know if there are any demons/devils that you love that the list above and the list below didn’t name.

Writer

Author: Yoko Dev

Hello, my anime peers. I’m from the states, but have taken an indefinite leave to travel while freelancing. Outside of a deep admiration for anime that started long ago, I love to read, write, and play video games. The main issue of traveling so far has been not having a console.

It is that time of the year again, when you go out at night and worry that you might not make it back home. When you hear a bump in the night, that bump might make a groan and then be something a little more auspicious than what you were expecting. We have to start looking out for those evil creatures that could take our souls for their own pleasure... those who wear the night like it were a custom Armani suit... the demons who haunt the dark allies, preying on those helpless souls who are returning late from an all-night karaoke party... the devils who drag helpless travelers into bars, to make them drink all of their worries away, leaving an empty husk when the sun rises. We are nearing the eve of hallow and those who know the traditions and folklore know to keep their loved ones safe from the horrors of demons and devils alike. But, enough of the dark gloomy side of those creatures; let’s look at those in anime who inspire us to be more like them and to release our inner demon.

The first creature of the abyss that we come across is Hild, the Demon Leader of Hell, yes, that Hell. Who wouldn’t want a happy-go-lucky, all powerful demon as a mother? As long as you don’t sneak out late at night, you have nothing to fear from her. Let’s hope that Urd didn’t do that too much while she was a teenager. But, who knows, Hild might have made a younger version of herself to go out with Urd on those wild nights. Not a bad mother when you come to think of it. But, I must again warn you not to make her mad, she is powerful enough to level a city the size of Tokyo if she breaks her bonds and goes wild.

9. Rias Gremory from High School DxD

Occult research is an odd club to have in a school and the president at the Kouh Academy’s Occult Research Club is the next demon on this list. Yes, I am talking about Rias Gremory, a pure-blooded devil and the sister of Lucifer himself… well, maybe not that Lucifer, but still a devil in his own right. Rias, better known as the Princess of Destruction, is among the many women who fall in love with Issei Hyoudou, the Harem King himself. Rias was the reason that Issei became a Devil after his first girlfriend cast judgment on him and slew him with her holy powers. Being a powerful devil is good and all, but Rias has a horde of followers…. slaves, which she can command on a moment’s notice. She even brings a league of smaller devils to back her up if she needs it.

8. Natsu Dragneel from Fairy Tail

We all have that friend who is always starting fights. It doesn’t matter if it’s with one of his friends or a complete stranger, he always wants to fight. But when it comes to someone else who wants to pick a fight with you or another one of your friends, that brawler friend is always there for you to knock the other guy on his rump. This brings us to Natsu Dragneel, the next demon on the list.

The human Natsu Dragneel died over 400 years ago. His story would have ended there, if it wasn’t for the most evil mage of all time, Zeref Dragneel, Natsu’s brother, who brought his beloved sibling back from the abyss to join the ranks of the demon race, Etherious.

7. Clare (Claire) from Claymore

Sometimes, you need a demon to fight a demon, this is something that the Organization knows all too well as it has made over 150 generations of these half demon Silver-Eyed Witches to fight full demons, known as Yoma. Claire, unlike most of the Claymores, choses to take the flesh and blood from a fellow Claymore instead of a Yoma when she became a Claymore, becoming the first Silver-Eyed Witch to be only one fourth Yoma, which lead everyone to think she was a failure.

After being critically wounded in a fight, Claire went beyond the limits set on all Claymores and turned into an Awakened Being, a demon more powerful than any Yoma. After she defeated her foe, she was able to regain her control, becoming the first partially Awakened Being.

6. Nelliel (Nel) Tu Odelschwanck from Bleach

When you think of a demon, a snot-nosed brat is probably the furthest thing from your mind when you are picturing it. Well, in her child-form, Nelliel is just that, an almost powerless child Arrancar who is even weaker than most normal Hallows, the demons that inhabit the land of Hueco Mundo. However, the grown-up version of Nel is a force to be reckoned with. When Nel transforms into her grown-up self, she becomes the third-strongest Espada, and has a decent set of… cushions, that is typical in Japanese anime.

When Ichigo and his team finish in Hueco Mundo, they leave her behind and we don’t see any more from her in the anime world. Back in the manga, she continues to be her child shelf for almost two years until she comes to Ichigo for help. After which, we get to see the grown-up version once again, ruling Hueco Mundo as they come to help Ichigo fight the final fight.

5. Dante from Devil May Cry

Just because you’re over 2000 years old, doesn’t mean you’re good with money. Dante, the son of the human Eva and the demon Sparda, has a thriving business, where he deals with the supernatural so us normal humans don’t have too much to worry about. Dante carries around a guitar case, but he doesn’t keep a guitar in it. Unlike other demons, he uses a sword and pistol to finish off his foes. Don’t steal his sweets, or you just might become one of those foes that will be served a bullet from the black and white pistols.

4. Rin Okumura from Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)

High school life is tough for everyone. It must be all those hormonal imbalances and discoveries that happen in a teenager’s life. Hair growing in strange new places, your voice changing, blue flaming horns appearing on your head and gaining interest in… wait, horns… that’s not right, well, not for most normal high school students. However, Rin Okumura is no ordinary student as he is a demon who was sent to Earth as a child since his father, Satan, couldn’t find a suitable human to wear. So, he sent his son to become that vessel when the time comes. Now, if only Rin wasn’t able to take care of himself, we might have trouble to look forward to.

3. Ryuuku (Ryuk) from Death Note

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” Ryuk must have been watching over the shoulder of Shakespeare when Puck spoke those words on the stage of a Midsummers Night’s Dream and took them to heart as he plays with humans whenever he is bored. He gives mortals the toys to create havoc and wreak mayhem in the mortal realm. It’s all good if it gives him a moment of entertainment and some juicy apples, must not forget the apples.

Ryuk is a Shinigami (a God of Death) and a monster. He usually stays in the Shinigami Realm, eating dried up apples and sometimes plays games with the other Shinigami. But being an almost immortal being is boring, so he sends his Death Note to the mortal realm from time to time to wreak havoc and for a time, he is not as bored as usual.

2. Sabastian Michaelis from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

No matter what anyone tells you, a demon makes one hell of a butler. Because, once you make a deal with a demon, that demon does anything to see it to the end. For, once a demon forms a contract with a human, that human’s soul belongs to the demon. Ciel Phantomhive sought the power to wreak vengeance on those who have mistreated him. Those currently tormenting Ciel were dealt with quickly, but the contract wasn’t complete until all of those who mistreated Ciel were gone. Sabastian decided that it was best to be there to protect Ciel and became his bodyguard/butler. Even going so far as checking for cavities, once and only once.

1. Alucard from Hellsing

Many people might argue about the number one demon on this list, for many people don’t know the true legend behind the birth of the vampires. That legend has a man, making a deal with a devil for power and immortality. Unbeknown to the man, the cost of his trade was his soul. Upon losing his soul, that man became the first vampire, a demon of the highest ranks. Who that man was, is still up for debate, but many believe that it was Dracula. That Lord of Darkness has his own spot on this list as he rules over both demons and devils alike, though he no longer goes by the name Dracula, for a new name has been fashioned for him and he goes by “Alucard” now.

Some time ago, Alucard made a deal with another human, Arthur Hellsing, for some services that we do not know. It is possible that Alucard respected the human, becausewhen he met Arthurs’ daughter, Integra, he recognized Arthurs’ will in her.

Sadao Maou [Hataraku Maou-sama]

Not all of the devils or demons on this list are evil, Heck, most of them are good to have around in a tight pinch. Each having their own past and own demons to deal with, they mostly watch out for those they take a liking to. Who knows, they might need your blood for something in the future. That is all for this list, but be safe as you’re out at night and don’t worry, that shadow won’t hurt you, much.

Writer

Author: Zack Ringler

My name is Zack Ringler, just like it is written on all of my articles. I come from America, Indiana to be precise. I work for the Board of Education in Utsunomiya Japan. Heard of it? Didn’t think so. I am a teacher, writer and game designer with my first game “Moonshine Run” going on Kickstarter later this year. You can learn more about me on my facebook by looking up my name or just adding /zringler to the end of the facebook URL. Hope you like what you read, later.